Liverpool may have sealed their progress to the Europa League quarter finals on Thursday night, but their commanding 11-2 aggregate victory over Sparta Prague was marred by yet another injury.
As coach Jurgen Klopp confirmed after the game during his post-match press conference, midfielder Bobby Clark was forced off the pitch in the 73rd minute due to an ankle issue.
The 19-year-old, who started in the Reds’ engine room alongside the experienced pair of Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai, notched his first goal for the Reds and also provided an assist for Mo Salah’s milestone strike.
However, his stellar performance, in just his fourth start, was cut short in the second half by the knock sustained in a heavy challenge.
Clark was replaced with around 20 minutes still to play by 20-year-old Polish winger Mateusz Musialowski, who made his long-awaited debut for the club.
SALAH PLAN CHANGED
Clearly, this wasn’t part of the plan.
“The plan was to take Mo off when we brought Mateusz on,” Klopp explained, “but then Bobby sat in front of me and it was clear that we could not do that now.”
In an interview with TNT Sport, Klopp elaborated on Clark’s situation, saying, “He is the one I am worried a bit about. We wanted to take off Mo, but Bobby sits on the ground and says he feels something in the ankle. Hopefully, it is nothing.”
Liverpool’s midfield options are already stretched thin with the absence of key players such as Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic.
Klopp expressed concern over Clark’s injury, especially with a crucial FA Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester United looming on Sunday.
And based on Thursday’s performance, Liverpool fans will be anxiously awaiting further updates on Clark’s condition and hoping for a swift recovery for the promising young midfielder.
